Chairman of the Board of Advisors, NACTS
Chariman, RMI
Raul Rodriguez serves as the Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the North American Center for Transborder Studies at Arizona State University. He served as CEO and Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADBank) until October 2005. Prior to joining the NADBank, he was Executive Director of the Mexican Foreign Trade Bank; the Bank’s Director for Asia; Mexico’s Trade Commissioner in Canada during the NAFTA negotiation; and Secretary of Economic Development for the Mexican border State of Tamaulipas.
Q: You have seen NACTS develop from the beginning; what do you see as the primary strengths of the concept?
A: The concept of NACTS can be summed up in three words: pragmatic, practical, and applied. The Faculty Advisory Council, the Board of Advisors and NACTS’ staff are a very interesting assortment of people which allows more applied work to successfully take place. There is an element of synergy to what NACTS is doing, and the different backgrounds of everyone involved blend nicely together.
Q: How would you characterize NACTS’ approach to making an impact?
A: NACTS takes a comprehensive approach; the disciplines, perspectives, and partnerships make for an excellent at ASU with the scope and clout to make things happen. I’d also like to emphasize the timeliness of this venture; at the moment we’re just not thinking about North America in a systematic way, and NACTS can help with that. Through its various initiatives, NACTS is already making its mark.
Q: How do the Partner Universities add value to ASU’s work?
A: NACTS has allied itself with some of the most progressive institutions in Canada and Mexico. These are institutions with great infrastructure for research and teaching that can help create a broader consciousness of shared North American challenges.
